A VILLAGE AFFAIR by Julie Houston is a fantastic contemporary fiction story with engaging characters and enough drama to keep you gripped from beginning to end.

Cassie Beresford has everything she ever wanted in her safe and stable marriage to Mark, her two beloved children, and her new dream job as deputy head of the local primary school. But when a secret is exposed on a night out, Cassie's life changes dramatically as she realises her husband has been cheating on her for two years with one of her best friends. Devastated, Cassie is determined to keep going for her kids and believes that Mark will come back and when she gets a promotion to head teacher, she certainly has enough on her plate.
​Throw in protests against a new housing estate destroying their green meadows, a free-spirited mother holding a secret, and a sizzling attraction to someone who should be seen as the enemy, and life sure has gotten crazy for Cassie. But amongst the madness, she might just find out who she really is and what she wants from her future.

The drama, the witty banter, the setting, the crazy friendships, all combine to make A VILLAGE AFFAIR by Julie Houston one of the most enjoyable reads that I have settled down with in a long time. This is a story about family, friendship, and realising your own worth and not being afraid of taking a chance, and I devoured this book in a couple of hours because I just didn't want to put it down.

A VILLAGE AFFAIR by Julie Houston is a top-notch read and I cannot wait for more from this talented author.

I was very excited when I heard from Julie Houston and she told me about her new novel, A Village Affair.  When you live in a village, you are all to aware that everyone around you knows a lot about you, sometimes too much!  A Village Affair highlights both the good and bad sides to this.

Cassie Beresford is very happy.  She has a long, loving marriage, two wonderful teenage children and she is just about to start her dream job as Deputy Head Teacher at her local primary school.  So it comes as a shock when she finds out in front of the whole village that her husband of 20 years, Mark, has been cheating on her with her best friend Tina.  To add insult to injury, she then finds herself in the position of Head Teacher the day before term starts.

In the face of all of this stress and trauma, Cassie also finds herself at the forefront of a fight with some developers who are seeking to build on the local green belt land surrounding the village.

The number of challenges that unexpectedly face Cassie take her through many emotions, as she seeks to find her place in the world again whilst fighting a number of battles.  A Village Affair is a story about a women who has to find herself when she thinks she is lost.  It is a story about reaffirming relationships, forging new ones and discarding broken ones.  Cassie is a strong independent woman, she just doesn't know it yet!

I am more than happy to recommend this novel.  I really enjoyed following Cassie and her family as they faced these intense challenges, overcoming them together.  If you are looking for a novel with a bit of heart, this is the novel for you.  Let me know what you think!

Thank you to Julie Houston, Netgalley and Aria for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.  Thank you also to Vicky Joss as Aria for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour.

A lovely mix of humour and romance set in a vibrant English village.

Cassie's world crumbles when she finds out her husband and best friend are having an affair, starting a new job as a  Deputy Headteacher seems impossible, how will she survive the gossip.  Cassie's life takes on the appearance of a roller coaster, but she discovers she likes who she has become.

The plot is pacy and full of twists and the characters bring the setting to life, and you feel part of the community. Cassie is a great character, easy to empathise, and the story has so many laugh-out-loud moments that it's guaranteed to brighten up a dull day.

The romance is gentle and unexpected and the not without its challenges but the ending is worth the angst and makes you want more of Westenbury and its inhabitants.

I received a copy of this book from Aria Fiction via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Everything happens at once for Cassie. Finding out about her husband's affair with her best friend and starting a new job at the local primary school. Just when Cassie wants to climb into bed and pull the duvet over her head she finds out she has to step in as acting head teacher. Her head is all over the place but thankfully she has lovely friends in Fi and Clare to support her.

It's lovely to be back again in the village of Midhope which is where Julie Houston's novels are set.
There were even guest appearances from Grace,Harriet and Celemintine from previous books.
What I loved about this story is through Julie's writing I felt I got to know the characters really well. I loved Cassie and her bolshy daughter.
Just when Cassie thinks she's found some happiness from the wreckage of her marriage things start to get more complicated
I laughed at the antics of the schoolchildren and applauded at how Cassie dealt with each one.
The lollipop lady was hilarious and the scenes between her and Cassie were some of the best in the book.
And now an extract from A Village Affair with thanks to Julie and her publisher.

I wasn’t sure what I would think of this and OH WOW was this book off to an explosive start! Cassie Beresford is a teacher at a primary school near her home. She has a very comfortable life and thinks she has it all, the mortgage, two kids and a handsome caring hard-working husband. That is until an auction night goes badly wrong when she finds out her husband of ten years has been having an affair for two.

To top it off, there is someone who is hungry for a piece of the village’s land to develop houses on.Cassie and her friends are strong, brave feisty and fun. Julie Houston’s writing style engages and does not dither or drag. I was laughing out loud at the funny parts and the characterisation is so realistic.

After having been asked by Aria to feature a cover reveal for this book on my blog (and while the cover is cute, do not be fooled into thinking this is a sleepy-village, slow-moving novel). It’s most definitely not. It is thoroughly enjoyable and I cannot wait to review more by Julie Houston.

Thanks to Julie Houston and Aria for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review and my spot on the blog tour for this title. 5 stars.

Cassie is happily married with two teenage children and about to start her job as deputy at the village school, everything is looking rosy until the bombshell is dropped...... her husband Mark is having an affair with her so called best friend!

A lovely book full of great characters and laugh out loud episodes, the villagers provide a great cast and a real community feeling and the book is one of those that leaves you with a smile on you face. I loved the way Cassie coped with everything and thought that she was a perfect leading lady

Cassie Beresford is living a high! She has just been promoted to deputy head teacher, and her children’s are doing great! But then everything changes right in the middle of a banquet! As Cassie is thrust into the spotlight when it is revealed that her husband of twenty years has been having an affair with one of her best friends! Leaving her absolutely devastated! And just when she thinks it can’t get any worse, she finds out the head teacher is dead! And she is now in charge! And as in everything in life, things have to get better before it gets worse! But how could things get any worse!! Oh, just you wait!

I have never read a book by Julie Houston! But I would 100% read her again! And why! Because her books have just the right mix of drama and humor, that so many authors fail to get right, especially for this reviewer, who is not a fan of the classic rom-com.

I found A Village Affair was very well written and the characters well developed and likable, and even though the plot strayed into Jeremy Kyle territory for a hot minute, the author wrote it far more believable than I would have expected!

A Village Affair is truly a great book, which I wholeheartedly recommend, 5 stars!

This is a first for me by this author but it won't be my last.

Cassie Beresford has recently landed her dream job as deputy head at her local, idyllic village primary school, Little Acorns. So, the last thing she needs is her husband of twenty years being 'outed' at a village charity auction - he has been having an affair with one of her closest friends.
As if that weren't enough to cope with, Cassie suddenly finds herself catapulted into the head teacher position, and at the forefront of a fight to ward off developers determined to concrete over the beautiful landscape.
But through it all, the irresistible joy of her pupils, the reality of keeping her teenage children on the straight and narrow, her irrepressible family and friends, and the possibility of new love, mean what could have been the worst year ever, actually might be the best yet...

A well written story of life's ups and downs... plenty of twists and turns to keep you going until the end and characters that you can relate to.
You go through a whole heap of emotions reading this as you share their experiences... the joys, disappointments, fears and triumphs... but will there be a happy ending after all???

I absolutely loved it and could not put it down once I started.
I look forward to reading more of Julie's work.

Thank-You Netgalley for my ARC.

Wonderful, Cassie loses her husband and becomes temporary head teacher at a crucial time. As well as dealing with all this, she finds the truth about her real father and falls in love .An enthralling novel, hard to put down.

I’ve been reading a lot of Christmas books recently, and it almost made me forget how much I love a cosy autumn book as well. A Village Affair, though? This one brought that straight back to the front of my mind!

The story
Cassie Beresford has recently landed her dream job as deputy head at her local, idyllic village primary school, Little Acorns. So, the last thing she needs is her husband of twenty years being 'outed' at a village charity auction . He has been having an affair with one of her closest friends.

As if that weren't enough to cope with, Cassie suddenly finds herself catapulted into the head teacher position, and at the forefront of a fight to ward off developers determined to concrete over the beautiful landscape.

But through it all, the irresistible joy of her pupils, the reality of keeping her teenage children on the straight and narrow, her irrepressible family and friends, and the possibility of new love, mean what could have been the worst year ever, actually might be the best yet...

The opinion
It’s incredible how much live can change just from the end of summer to the start of winter. Cassandra – Cassie – Moonbeam experiences that to the full, though. Just imagine: it’s days before she starts her first day as the second in command of her local primary school. She discovers - in possibly the most public way possible – that her husband has been cheating on her. For two years. With her best friend. And just as she thinks things can’t possibly get any worse? Well, that’s when the head of the school dies unexpectedly and she finds herself now the first in command of her local primary school. How’s that for a first day at work?

Now, Cassie is in no way perfect. She breaks down, gets a bit selfish at times, can even show her age in her thoughts on marriage and sexuality. At the same time, though, she doesn’t hesitate to put her children and her job first. Sure, she absolutely exhausts herself in doing so, but I couldn’t help but sympathise with the way she handled everything thrown at her. And believe me – if you thought the first couple of chapters saw every type of twists you could possibly come across? Well, you’re in for a couple more surprises.

What I loved about Julie Houston’s writing throughout all of this, is how naturally she allows the story to flow. I’m usually really not a fan of first-person-narratives, but somehow she got me to enjoy it throughout this book. The flashbacks from Cassie’s mum’s perspective certainly added an extra layer and managed to introduce the number one twist I did not see coming. Like, at all.

Add to all that the exquisite descriptions. The never-won fight putting “progress for progress’ sake” against the wish to “not change what isn’t broken”, and the way Cassie grew in so many aspects, not only as a mum, a head teacher, a friend, but just: as a person? And you find yourself with a book I fell asleep reading and just had to get back to as soon as I woke up. You know – as one does!

The rating: 3.75/5
I think it’s pretty clear now that I really enjoyed this book. It’s the kind of read that beautifully transforms from late summer into all the beauty of fall to the very start of crispy winter. The utter feel-good element as well as Cassie’s powerful transformation? That’s just added bonus’, really!

Find it on Goodreads here!
-Saar

This is an excellent story!

It was very well written story about village life with its ups and downs.

I really got engrossed with the characters and don't usually so that goes to show how well the author has developed them with this story.

It is a must read, heart-warming story - no hesitation in giving this one 5 stars!!

Well, what a brilliant story this turned out to be- so full of surprises and shocking revelations from the start to the end. Told in the first person by Cassandra Moonshine, it is a heartwarming story involving a wide range of well developed characters and a village community.

Just days before Cassandra is about to start her new job as Deputy Head at the village primary school, she discovers her husband has been having an affair with the person she thought was her best friend. That’s just the first of many shocking revelations in this engaging story.

With an eccentric Mum, a teenage son with his own dilemmas, a rebellious teenage daughter and builders wanting to build on green belt land as well as all the shenanigans of settling into a new role in a new school, life is definitely changing and challenging for Cassandra! I loved escaping into this story, the author brings the scenarios to life in your imagination as you read.

There are some tear jerking moments, others to have you laughing out loud (especially one involving a squirrel), times when you wonder just how much more can go wrong for her and a superb ending to round it all off, leaving you with a smile on your face. I have no hesitation in highly recommending this brilliant read and I’ll definitely be looking out for more by this talented author in future.

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley. This review is my honest opinion after choosing to read it – and thoroughly enjoying doing so!

A Village Affair by Julie Houston is a wonderfully uplifting and feel good book.

A seemingly easy and light style of writing touches some very important issues, end of marriage, stress of a new job, mother-daughter relationship, best friends and getting on with your life after many disastrous happenings.

When Cassie finds out that her husband has been cheating on her with her best friend, she is beyond devastated. Always believing that he was her soul mate she can't accept his betrayal. All this happens the night before she is supposed to start her new job, and a unfortunate event makes is even harder to do so.
As she tries to move on from day to day, doing the best for her kids and the school that she is running she has a tremendous support from her friends.
When a possible new development pushes her into the arms of a new love interest her world comes crashing down as she finds out the horrible truth.
Lovely and entertaining, with wonderful set of lovable characters will have you rooting for Cassie. Steady paced it pull reader into her world to reveal all hidden truths.
I loved both the main and most of supporting characters, beautiful setting and great story. This is not just a romance book but so much more.

Cassie Beresford seems to have everything. That is until the charity auction where it’s publicly revealed her husband has been cheating on her with her best friend for the past two years. Then she’s suddenly promoted to head teacher with no notice. Oh, and the fields in her tiny village are targeted by developers intent on mass housing. Though feeling overwhelmed and defeated, Cassie rises and tackles the challenges, all while balancing great friends, two teenagers, and maybe even new love.

Some books utilize a slow burn, opening softly, letting readers get used to the new world. Author Julie Houston does not use this technique. Instead, the opening pages practically explode out of the book, with a very public revelation of Cassie’s husband, Mark’s, affair. It’s tragic and biting, but it’s also tinged with the humor the humor that’s abundant throughout the rest of the book.

And it’s deeply funny. My copy is littered with highlights because there are just so many sections that made me laugh. Cassie is a likable, relatable character, and much of this stems from her scenes as an educator. Here, Houston writes with beautiful honesty, and anyone who has ever felt insecure in a job will immediately find a companion in Cassie.

A bit of a posh woman moving on from her husband and learning to love herself is enough book for anyone, but Houston presses on with a fields plotline. Edward Bamforth wants to build new housing the fields, against much of the village’s wishes, and things are further complicated when romantic interests are piqued between two characters. A different author could have completely muddled the wonderfully intricate threads, but Houston seamlessly weaves the action around Cassie’s ultimate development.

I do want to give special mention to Julie Houston’s positive discussion of sexuality in this book. Early on it becomes apparent that Cassie’s teenage son, Tom, is questioning his sexuality. It’s handled in a deeply sensitive way that I think, overall, could be a guide for parents. I was personally very pleased to see this type of inclusion and I think it’s one of the best portrayals of Questioning youth where it wasn’t the focus of the book.

This book is a bit of a roller coaster. Infidelity is a difficult topic, and the aftermath is rarely neat and tidy. However, Houston knows how to manipulate a story so that the reader is always on their toes as characters struggle and jest toward their own answers. The result is a wickedly funny read with heart.

Amazing book. Loved it from beginning to end.
Well written which kept me captivated throughout.
I will definitely be reading other books by this author

This was a delightful book, I laughed so much during this book. Our main character Cassie finds out her husband has been cheating on her with her best friend for two years. Cassie is crushed but she has a new job so she cannot spend a long time feeling sorry for herself. A developer wants to build houses on the land where her Grandfather has spent years growing beautiful flowers. Her mother, Paula and her daughter Freya demonstrate against the progress.
There are many facets of this book. If you are into women's fiction this is worth you time. It is a book that makes you feel good.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Cassie has landed her dream job in a primary school, she has the perfect life handsome husband what could go wrong. 5 stars all the way. Read it

Review: Be warned once you start reading this book you will not want to stop.

I would lie to thank Julie Houston for approaching me to review her book as she wanted to appear on my blog and thanks to Aria for arranging the blog tour. 

A Village Affair is a truly funny and engaging read. Julie's writing is lovely. A a reader you really fell apart of the action and can connect with the characters and plot. We follow Cassie who after finding out about her two timing husband and best friend finds herself a new romance. Intermingled with all this the funny going on of village life. Anyone who has lived in a village, as I have, will totally relate to this read. 

I loved it and will be looking out for more by Julie as this was my first book I have read by her.

This was the first book by this author that I’ve read and the description of the book was what initially enticed me! Cassie Beresford is living the dream – good job as a deputy head teacher in a secondary school, happily married with 2 children and a nice house. Everything is perfect until, at a charity dinner auction, it is announced by her best friend’s husband that her husband is having an affair with his wife, her best friend. Needless to say, her life after that begins to fall apart.

This was such a good read and completely different from the light hearted romance I had expected! Cassie is a character which grows on you as you get further into the book. At the beginning she obviously has her ‘perfect life’ and may come across as a bit ‘superior’ to others. Having her world torn apart by the realisation that her husband is having an affair appears to make her re-evaluate her life, stand up for herself and become a character, which by the end, I loved! I also loved the side story of Grandad Norman’s meadow, which is under threat of re-development, and the way the villagers rally round to support Cassie in her battle to save it.

This book is not only a book of family, friends and community but also of self-discovery. A fun and sometimes emotional read, full of characters which I would love to know and live amongst! I will definitely be looking out for more by this author in the future. Highly recommended!

Thank you to the author and Publisher for generously including me in the blog tour.

Loved this book!! It was a fun read and I would have loved to keep reading about Cassie, her family and friends. All the characters were perfect. Cassie definitely grew on me as she became stronger being by herself and wasn't crying every five minutes over Mark. There were so many funny moments in the book and I laughed numerous times. There was Chantelle, the little boy talking about his father going blind, the squirrels, the hen party and Cassie hitting Xavier with the three foot inflatable penis and pretty much everything that came out of Deimante's mouth. (That's just naming a few)

Instead of winning the bid on the villa in Portugal at the village charity auction, Cassie finds out her husband has been having an affair with her best friend for the past two years. Cassie appropriately names her Serpentina and uses lipstick to decorate her friend's car. Cassie has the added stress of starting a new job as the acting head at the primary school. Now developers want to build three thousand houses on the greenbelt, taking away the farms and Norman's Meadow in the village. Cassie has a chance with a possible love interest, until news from her mom changes everything.

Loved the story, characters and writing style. Loved the little twist at the end. So glad a llama/alpaca farm was able to make everyone happy!! (I absolutely love llamas and alpacas.) The book just made me smile. Mark's cheating was the best thing to happen to Cassie even if she didn't see it that way at first. Loved how Freya became just like Paula.

Definitely recommend the book and I can't wait to read more books by the author.

Thanks to NetGalley, Aria and the author, Julie Houston, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.